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See the Stars by Eleanor Ray #Review

  See the Stars by Eleanor Ray will be  published on February 5th 2026 by Piatkus .  Do you ever feel that life isn't going to plan?   When Alice Thorington collapses in the street after a particularly hellish day at work, she must finally admit to herself that her outwardly happy life - steady relationship, well-paid job, beautiful flat in the city - isn't everything she'd hoped it would be. Burnt out by long hours and living a life that doesn't fulfil her dreams, Alice returns home to Yorkshire.  Her childhood home brings complicated family dynamics, a rediscovery of her passion for stargazing and two new friends: Berti, a boy who finds it easier to count the stars than interact with people, and Matt, her brother's best friend and Alice's teenage crush. With each of them facing their own struggles, can the stars that meant so much to Alice in her past help them to find their way in the present?  Filled with heart and warmth, this uplifting novel...
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The Village Inn of Secret Dreams by Alison Sherlock #Review ~TheRiversideLaneSeriesBook3

 

It is a great welcome back to Alison Sherlock and her novels set in beautiful Cranbridge with The Village Inn of Secret Dreams. 

Brand NEW from the bestselling author of The Village Shop For Lonely Hearts.

After escaping her parents’ unhappy marriage to sleepy Cranbridge a long time ago, Belle Clarke dreams of staying at The Black Swan Inn forever.

But with the rundown Inn threatened with closure, Belle may be forced to leave, unless a buyer can be found … quickly.

So, when her oldest friend Pete Kennedy returns from working abroad with a plan to save the Inn, Belle should be overjoyed. The trouble is, Pete has some rather radical ideas for the renovation which Belle disagrees with.

But when a snow storm hits, Belle and Pete are forced to put aside their differences and work together to help the village.

Can Belle realise her dreams to stay in Cranbridge and can Pete ever stop running from his past?

As they try to save The Black Swan Inn, secrets are revealed and just maybe they’ll finally find out how they really feel about each other.


 My Thoughts 

I loved returning to Cranbridge to find out how all the characters were getting on and to see what Belle's story was going to be about. She's always been quite an interesting person, with her own quirks and vulnerabilities. As the story develops, you see her begin to face up to them and grow up a little. 

    The local community is central to the village once more and the local pub, The Black Swan, is set to come into its own. There are lots of good messages about looking out for each other and shopping locally which gives the whole novel a warm and inclusive tone. I am sure there are one or two more characters who can feature in their own story. As the name suggests, there are some secrets to uncover and the odd surprise as well. Family and friendship are still key and I am hoping that some more empty shops will be found to let the series grow!

 

In short: great characters and a community feel

About the Author


Alison Sherlock is the author of the bestselling Willow Tree Hall books. Alison enjoyed reading and writing stories from an early age and gave up office life to follow her dream. Her new series for Boldwood is set in a fictional Cotswold village and the first title was published in July 2020.

You can read my review of The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts here and The Village of Lost and Found  here

You can follow Alison here:  Twitter|  Facebook  |  Bookbub 
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Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Alison Sherwood, Boldwood Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

Check out the rest of the tour!
 

 

 

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